Not Quite Out Of Bounds
by Neellok
Summary: All is fair in love and tennis. A drabble collection.
1. Pine

**Note: **This drabble collection will be entirely Atobe/Ryoma. The drabbles are not consecutive or related unless otherwise stated.

**Prompt:** Pine

* * *

Echizen Ryoma leaned against the Hyotei University gate, rolling her eyes when another girl approached Atobe Keigo with a homemade lunch. She knew that Atobe would accept the food, and then give it to one of his teammates. Atobe never ate the food he was given, but he was too much of a gentleman to reject their heartfelt offers.

The girl beamed at his acceptance and ran back to her friends, blushing and giggling. Ryoma didn't understand women, even though she was one. The gaggle of fangirls that followed Atobe never confessed their feelings. They would give hints: bat their eyelashes, smile, blush, or give presents. Yet, they would never tell Atobe how much they liked him in person.

Ryoma wondered if they'd made some secret pact with tears and blood. Maybe they'd created rules where direct confession was forbidden. Or they were all cowards who thought that good looks were enough to snag Atobe's attention.

Ryoma smirked as the lunch was given to Kabaji. Ryoma knew that nothing would ever come of the lunches or gifts that the fangirls gave him. He would never be interested in someone with no confidence or courage.

"Echizen, what are you doing here?" Atobe asked when he finally noticed her.

Ryoma smiled. He hadn't called her "brat" in over a year. A part of her missed their heated spats, but Atobe using her last name was proof that they were on equal footing. She wondered what her first name would sound like. Would it sound gentle? Smug? Exasperated? She couldn't wait to hear it.

"Not pining," she replied. "Will you go on a date with me on Saturday?"

Ryoma didn't flinch at the sudden silence. She waited, knowing that he would need a few seconds to realize that she was serious. She was different. She was used to getting what she wanted, and she wanted him.

Atobe chuckled. "Yes."

Ryoma grinned at the positive response. It was time to claim her king. "Excellent. Pick me up around five."


	2. Pick

**Prompt:** Pick

* * *

"Doubles. The losing team will pay for the winning team's dinner."

Ryoma grimaced. She hated playing doubles. She sucked at it, even though her coach and captain tried to teach her. She enjoyed playing by herself too much. When Ryoma stepped onto the tennis court it belonged to her. She would only ever share it with a worthy opponent.

"Fine." Ryoma's eyes scanned over the people participating in the stupid event. She just hoped that none of the other players would try and make it into a date. She knew that her chances of winning were slim. She could barely even play doubles with Momo.

Ryoma scowled when a guy leered at her. Why had she agreed to this stupid competition again?

"Hey, Echizen, I picked you. See?" Horio bellowed in her ear as he held up the piece of paper with her name on it.

She cringed and glared at him. She was doomed. She would never be able to win a match with Horio on her team. Not only was Horio a horrible tennis player, but he was arrogant and hot-headed. He was overconfident and he talked way too much.

Ryoma glared at Momo, who had been in charge of making the slips of paper and matching opponents against each other. She'd hoped that he'd gotten over the argument they'd had earlier that day. When she lost—when, not if—she'd think of an appropriate punishment for him.

"Our opponent is Captain Tezuka. I'm sure we can beat him."

Ryoma paused. Horio was delusional. They were definitely losing. She might be able to beat him at singles on occasion, but he would crush her and Horio in doubles. At least Tezuka would never pretend it was a date. What about Tezuka's partner? She wouldn't buy some creepy guy dinner. She didn't want people getting false ideas.

"Who's his partner?" she asked.

"Uh, um, Atobe."

Ryoma silently apologized to Momo and vowed to give him her melon bread tomorrow. It was always the first to go and Momo rarely got one.

"This will take ten minutes," a familiar voice announced from behind her.

Ryoma spun around and smirked at Atobe. "Looks like you'll owe me dinner, Monkey King." They both knew she wasn't boasting that she would win. Atobe was smarter than that. Ryoma would pay for their first dinner, but Atobe would pay for their first date.

He grinned and nodded. "Agreed."


	3. Steal

**Prompt: **Steal

* * *

"Are you crazy? Let me go!" Ryoma ordered, backing away from the group of guys that had ambushed her near Seigaku's front gate. If there had been one or two she would have been able to take care of them herself. Her brother and father had made sure Ryoma knew how to defend herself.

"I knew we should have explained it to her," a redhead complained. "Why don't you ever listen to me?"

Ryoma wondered if they were crazy. How would explaining things help? They had waited until Momo and Kaido left before they ambushed her. They had to have been waiting, since she hadn't seen them accost any of the other girls that left. This meant they were specifically here for her. The thought terrified her. She didn't recognize their school uniform; though it wasn't unusual since Ryoma normally only saw the other schools' tennis uniforms. Ryoma didn't get scared easily, but they were discussing her future as if she wasn't even present. She'd watched too many cop dramas that ended badly.

"Gakuto, shut up!" another boy with glasses ordered.

"Gakuto?" she muttered. Why did that name sound familiar? Wait. Mukahi Gakuto? The redheaded, acrobatic player on Atobe's team? The jerk that lost against Oishi and Kikumaru last year? Wouldn't that mean that the other guys were Hyotei regulars as well? Ryoma took a deep breath and reminded herself that Atobe would never allow criminals onto his tennis team.

"—but it's for Atobe! We can't just leave her."

Ryoma froze. They were trying to kidnap her for Atobe? She mentally groaned. Atobe was right; every member on his team was an idiot. "What?" She winced when everyone's attention swung her way. Maybe she should have run when she had the chance.

"It's Atobe's birthday today," an exhausted voice explained. It looked as if he would fall asleep standing up. "He has everything. He's too rich, so we can't buy him anything. But then I remembered that he didn't have an Echizen. So we decided to steal you."

Ryoma tried to follow his logic and failed. They were going to kidnap her and give her to Atobe as a birthday present? She flushed at the implication, longing to grab her racquet and bash them over the head. She would love to go on a date with Atobe, but that didn't mean he felt the same way. She didn't want to be rejected. "Maybe he doesn't want an Echizen!"

The sleepy boy shook his head and almost toppled to the ground. "Nope. He does. I know. I heard him."

Atobe said that he wanted her? Thoughts raced as the words echoed in her mind. Ryoma glanced up at the guys surrounding her with trepidation. What if they were wrong? She was stupid for even contemplating this. It was probably a prank. But if it wasn't….

"Will you come with us now, or does Kabaji have to carry you?" Gakuto demanded.

Ryoma wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and glared. They'd freaked her out and then expected her to follow them? She was still a little hesitant about trusting them, but she was more annoyed than afraid. When she talked to Atobe, she'd make sure that he doubled their training menu.

"Do I get a bow?" she asked flippantly, as if she wasn't about to confess to the guy she'd had a crush on for years.

"A giant gold one," another regular confirmed, holding it up.

Atobe's favorite color. Ryoma stared at the bow and carefully took it from his hands. She peeled off the back and placed it in her hair.


	4. Kiss

**Prompt: **Kiss

* * *

Watermelon. Keigo tasted like the watermelon ice cream he'd purchased. Ryoma still wasn't quite sure what happened. One moment they were bickering and the next his lips were pressed against hers. She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. Her fingers, sticky from her melted cone, ran through his hair; she knew he'd complain about it later. His hair was softer than Ryoma thought it would be.

"Look, Mommy! They're kissing!" a boy shouted.

Ryoma flushed and pushed Keigo away when she remembered where they were. Her first kiss had been next to an ice cream stand, in the middle of the day, with little kids running around. Ryoma shivered at the raw heat in his darkened blue eyes. He had never looked at her like that before; fond or amused, yes, but never with desire.

Ryoma forced herself to remain still, even though she wanted to kiss Keigo again. She wanted to feel his arms wrap around her and hear the pounding of her heart as his lips caressed hers.

It hadn't been what she envisioned her first kiss to be, but she would never forget the sun shining on her face, the sound of laughter in the distance, or the taste of cold watermelon on her tongue.


	5. Meander

**Prompt: **Meander

* * *

"You're walking too fast, Echizen. Walk slower," Atobe Keigo told his girlfriend, tugging on her hand as they walked through a local park.

Echizen Ryoma rolled her eyes with exasperation. That was the third time Atobe told her that she was walking too fast. She hadn't thought about how much of a hassle it would be to go on a walk. Walks were simple and quick. Ryoma purposely left her cell phone at home so she wouldn't be distracted by text messages or phone calls. Her teammates were excellent at interrupting her dates. They probably did it on purpose.

When Atobe first suggested going on a walk she had been excited. Ryoma used to go on walks with her mom. When she made partner at the law firm, their walks stopped. A walk with Atobe was much different, though. Her mom liked to power walk or speed walk. Atobe didn't.

"Atobe, if I walk any slower I'll be standing still. I thought you wanted to go on a walk," Ryoma protested. She wanted to go faster.

Atobe chuckled. "We are on a walk. Enjoy it." He entwined their fingers together and tugged her closer to him. "What color is the sky?"

Ryoma gave him a skeptical look. "Blue." He gave her a 'is that the best you can do?' look. She huffed out a sigh and asked for patience. She gazed at the sky with a reluctant smile. "I don't know. It's like running water and the ocean. Blueberries and robin eggs." Ryoma felt stupid, but she couldn't think of any other way to describe it. It was so wide and so blue! There wasn't a cloud in sight to mar the perfect blanket of sky.

Atobe smiled at her fondly when she glanced at him. "What color is the grass?"

Ryoma almost didn't answer. But she couldn't resist his expression. "Green apples and pine trees. Lily pads and emeralds." She felt the urgency and annoyance slowly slip away from her as she stared at the grass. It looked picnic soft. Ryoma shook her head. Atobe always knew the right thing to say. With only a few words, he had been able to get her to calm down and enjoy the moment.

"Ah. And the flowers?"

Ryoma smiled wider and leaned her head on his shoulder as they passed by a bed of blossoms. Flashes of bubble gum pink, fire engine red, and canary yellow caught her eye. She continued to answer each question and wondered what other words could describe a walk: stroll, jaunt, march, ramble. She laughed when the perfect word popped into her mind. Meander.


	6. Illustrate

**Prompt: **Illustrate

* * *

Ryoma mentally sighed and continued to ignore the guy that was following her. She somehow caught his attention when she stopped for a drink at the park's water fountain. She would have bought a grape ponta, but she left her wallet at home. She loved the sweet taste of the bubbles on her tongue. She didn't like drinking water. It tasted bland.

She had tried shaking him off and even telling him to leave. He refused. She wondered if he was deaf. Maybe he didn't understand Japanese, even though he spoke it fluently. Ryoma should have pretended to not understand what he was saying. She had lived in America for twelve years, after all. Few people she'd met since moving to Japan were good at speaking English. Atobe being the exception, since he'd lived in England when he was a kid.

"So your answer is yes?" he persisted.

How was staying silent a 'yes'? Were all men stupid? Ryoma glared at the blinding sun and wished that she'd brought her filo cap and her sunglasses. She had been in a hurry when she woke up late. She had promised Atobe that she would support his team and she hated lying. If Ryoma was lucky, she would get there in time. The stupid bus had been fifteen minutes late!

The stalker's cajoling voice grated on her ears. She couldn't remember the guy's name or if he had even offered it. Her hands fisted. She really wanted to punch him. Ryoma turned the corner and smiled when she finally saw the tennis court. Ryoma glanced at the scoreboard and groaned when she noticed that Hyotei had already won, though she shouldn't have been surprised. It had been a long time since she watched Atobe play, though it looked like they won with Singles Three.

"I already have a boyfriend," Ryoma finally said, after the guy had caught up to her. His scoffing response broke what little restraint she had left. "Let me illustrate for you." Ryoma stalked over to Atobe and captured his lips.

She felt him jerk with surprise and mentally cursed her forwardness. Atobe was one of her best friends and she hoped that her stupidity wouldn't ruin it. She could have found some other way, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind. Ryoma gasped when Atobe pulled her flush against him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tangled her hands behind his head. He smelled amazing. It was probably some fancy cologne or shampoo. She blushed when a whimper escaped her. She couldn't ever remember making that kind of noise before.

A loud cough interrupted the haze that had settled over her mind. Atobe pulled away from the kiss, leaving her disappointed. Why did he stop? Oh. Right. She blinked at the group of Hyotei regulars. Only a few were looking away, while the rest were either staring at them in shock or grinning.

"Uh, the guy's gone now," Shishido said awkwardly.

"What guy?" Ryoma asked. What was he talking about?

"There was a guy next to you a few minutes ago. But he left. Apparently, he didn't know you had a boyfriend," Mukahi said with a wide grin. "Incidentally, we didn't either."

"We kept it a secret," Atobe lied without hesitation.

Ryoma swallowed around the lump suddenly lodged in her throat. She hadn't ruined anything with her impulsiveness. She squeezed his hand when he twined their fingers together. She had given Atobe many titles over the years: Monkey King, jerk, rival, and best friend. But none sounded better than boyfriend.


	7. Erase

**Prompt: **Erase

* * *

"Oi, brat, want to play a game?" Atobe asked.

Ryoma's acceptance froze on her tongue when the appellation registered. Pain lanced through her chest when she turned to look at him. He was handsome. Even more than last time, if that was possible. His hair was short and spiked—due to losing a bet with Shishido. His smirk was taunting and teasing her, as if he could read her mind. His blue eyes blazed with fire and a challenge.

Ryoma wanted to accept. She wanted to play against him because it had been months since the last time they played a game. But she couldn't. Atobe never called her Echizen or Ryoma. She wondered if the name 'brat' had been engrained into his brain, because Ryoma hadn't heard him say her name since they were introduced. Ryoma used to think it was funny. In return, she had dubbed him Monkey King. Ryoma stopped calling him Monkey King years ago.

Now it hurt. Brat was what you called an unruly child that never listened. Her dad called her a brat because Ryoma could never measure up to him. Ryoga called her a brat because she needed to be protected and couldn't make her own decisions. Brat meant that Atobe didn't see her as an equal. Ryoma would never be his rival, teammate, or friend.

"No," she said, unwilling to play a match with him. It would be too painful. Every volley would feel like a service ace to her heart. Ryoma turned away from the shocked silence and wandered over to Kikumaru. Maybe a hug would make her feel as if she hadn't lost something important.

Ryoma buried her face into Kikumaru's shoulder and mentally thanked him when he didn't mention the tears wetting his shirt and skin. She hated it. She had tried everything! What did she have to _do_ to erase the word brat from his mind?


	8. Focus

**Prompt: **Focus

* * *

Ryoma ignored the chattering of Tomoka and Sakuno as she watched the practice match between Tezuka and Atobe. Coach Ryuzaki and Sakaki Taro decided that holding regular practice matches between Seigaku and Hyotei would be a great way to train. Hyotei hosted the first practice, and now it was Seigaku's turn. Ryoma was grateful that she would be able to see the matches this time since she wasn't permitted to go to Hyotei with the boy's team.

Ryoma watched as many of the boys took off their uniform shirts. It had gotten hotter the last few days, and their jerseys were soaked through with sweat. Ryoma swallowed when her eyes landed on Atobe. She had known he was attractive, but she had never seen him without his shirt before. If she had any doubts about his physique, they all flew out the window along with any other thoughts she had. Ryoma knew she should focus on the score and their techniques, but she couldn't muster the strength to look away.

He was sweaty, which should have been gross; it wasn't. The water Atobe had poured over his head during the court change dripped down his neck and chest. His muscled back contracted and flexed with every swing. She wanted to run her hands over his chest and feel the dips and contours of his muscles. Ryoma knew he worked out every day, and she wanted to feel the evidence of his hard work.

"—ma? Ryoma?" Sakuno asked.

"Hm," Ryoma absently said, not taking her eyes off of Atobe.

"Hey, Ryoma, are you done ogling Atobe yet, or do you plan to stare at him for the rest of the day?" Tomoka teased.

"I wasn't ogling Atobe. I was just appreciating the view," Ryoma retorted, blushing.

"The view, huh? All you can see are hot, sweaty men."

Ryoma growled. Tomoka never knew when to drop a subject. She always had to have the last word. If Ryoma didn't reply, then she would be teased for weeks! "Fine. I was ogling Atobe. Happy?" she demanded. Maybe Tomoka would be too shocked to reply and forget the whole thing.

Ryoma winced when she realized that her response had been louder than she wanted. There was no way Atobe hadn't heard her. Great. Public humiliation. Ryoma wondered if there was any way to save the situation. There was a reason why she had only talked to Atobe a few times. Her mouth tended to ramble and she would say something stupid. Like now. He probably didn't want anything to do with her! She glared at Tomoka and silently promised her death if she ever mentioned it again.

Tomoka cackled with glee and turned to a smirking Atobe. "See. I told you my plan would work!"

"What?" Ryoma asked weakly. Tomoka had set her up? Tomoka knew about her crush on Atobe, and had been trying to get Ryoma to confess for months. Each time Ryoma would butcher it and say something weird. After the first three tries, she stopped.

"Atobe didn't think you liked him. So I told him to take his shirt off during practice. You can thank me later."


	9. Abandon

**Prompt: **Abandon

* * *

Nine-year-old Atobe Keigo glared at the multitude or people invading his house. He knew his parents loved to throw extravagant galas every year, but he had secretly hoped that his mother wouldn't force him to wear a ridiculous costume. She always loved to dress him up in designer clothes that would get dirty.

He drank the glass of punch Kabaji, his best friend, brought him. Keigo wondered how angry his parents would be if he abandoned the rest of the Halloween Party and snuck out to play tennis. His grip tightened when he remembered his loss again. It was the second time that week he failed to win a match. No matter how much he practiced, he could never beat them.

Keigo growled softly and chugged the rest of the drink. He placed it next to a tray of cheese that no one had touched, because there was shrimp and caviar farther down the table. Atobe didn't want to socialize with his parents' business partners. He wanted to feel the racquet in his hand and hear the squeak of his tennis shoes. He wanted to touch the coarse fuzz on the tennis ball and practice that new idea he had.

"Are you a monkey?" a girl around his age asked.

Keigo frowned at the newcomer and wished for a brief second that he could order her away. She had a stubborn glint in her eyes, which he knew from experience meant she wouldn't leave. She had a tin crown on her head. It went perfectly with her bright blue ball gown. She looked like a princess. How original.

Keigo resisted the urge to rip the ears off the top of his head and nodded with a forced grin. "I am."

"That's not very original," she said with a smirk.

Keigo frowned. "And a princess is?"

"Hm. I'm not just a princess. I'm the Princess of Tennis," she declared, hands on her hips.

Keigo laughed at the answer. It was childish and strangely amusing. "That's not possible."

She snorted. "If my dad can be a samurai, I can be a princess. You'd know that if you played tennis."

"On the contrary. I play very well," he retorted. Samurai? Wasn't there a famous Japanese tennis player named Samurai Nanjiroh? His father had babbled about the man for half an hour at breakfast because he was coming tonight. This must be his daughter. Echizen Ryoma.

"Then what title do you want?" Echizen demanded. "It can't be lame! I won't be friends with someone who's bad at tennis. It'd be embarrassing."

Keigo racked his mind at the silly question. What title? It was a foolish thing to think about, but he couldn't stop himself. When he finally became better than the bullies at the courts, when he became number one in Japan, when he became the greatest tennis player the world ever saw, he wanted to be King. Emperor was too pompous. But a king was magnificent. Yes. He'd be a king.

"King."

"Hm." She removed her crown and nestled it between his fake monkey ears on top of his head. She grinned. "Monkey King." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Make sure you come rescue me when you're grown up so we can get married! I want my crown back."

Keigo blushed when she laughed and ran through the crowd of grownups, getting lost among the different costumes and colors. She was a weird little girl. Princess of Tennis, huh? He left the party through a side door and raced to his room. Keigo placed the crown on the nightstand near his bed. He changed out of his costume and into his tennis clothes. He was going to become a King. And tonight he would start creating his kingdom.


	10. Smile

**Prompt: **Smile

* * *

"I'm pregnant," Atobe Ryoma whispered, testing the words in the bathroom. She felt some of the doubt flee with the confirmation. "I'm pregnant," she repeated. She knew that they planned to wait to have children. Ryoma laughed as all of those carefully thought out plans were thrown in the garbage next to the pregnancy test box.

Ryoma leaned against the wall as she thought about what needed to be done. They had to make a doctor's appointment, tell their friends, paint the nursery, buy clothes, and retire from tennis. Ryoma paused. Retire. Ryoma smiled as she looked into the mirror. She looked the same an hour ago. She didn't have that glow some mothers got. She didn't look as if her entire world had changed because of two small lines.

When Ryoma was growing up, she never understood her father. She never understood why he gave up professional tennis. Now she did. If it meant staying at home and being with her baby, if it meant watching his or her first steps, if it meant late nights and early mornings rocking him or her to sleep, if it meant hearing laughter and first words, Ryoma would give up playing tennis for the rest of her life.

Tennis began with love, and so did their child.


	11. Murder

**Prompt: **Murder

* * *

"You ate Atobe's cookies," Otori Chotaro said as he inched away from Mukahi Gakuto.

Gakuto rolled his eyes as he licked off the last of the crumbs from his fingers. Why was Otori acting weird? Atobe normally brought food to practice for them, or took them out afterwards. "So? Atobe always orders delicious food and shares it with the rest of the team. Hmm. He must have found a new place, though. I haven't had these before. Hey, Oshitari, where did Atobe get the cookies?"

"Gakuto, please tell me you didn't eat those cookies," Oshitari Yushi almost begged his doubles partner when he saw the empty bag.

"Yeah. They were delicious. Where did Atobe get them?" Gakuto asked again. Why were they acting as if he had committed a heinous crime? They were just cookies. Amazingly delicious cookies, but still cookies all the same.

"Oh! Echizen's cookies! Atobe's sharing them this time? Are there any left?" Akutagawa Jiro chirped.

"Echizen's cookies?" Gakuto paled. He looked at the small, pretty bag in his hand and winced. He was dead. Atobe was going to murder him and bury him in his rose garden in one of his villas. And when people asked where poor Gakuto went, the Hyotei regulars would reply, "He ate Atobe's cookies," and everyone would nod in sympathy.

Gakuto felt a chill run up his spine before he could hide the evidence. "Atobe, hey. So, um, you should tell your girlfriend that the cookies were delicious. I mean, they were _really_ good. The best I've ever had, in fact. They were buttery and very soft. Not hard at all, like they can sometimes get in stores." Gakuto mentally cursed himself as he kept rambling. Atobe's expression grew colder the longer he kept talking. Gakuto turned to plead with Oshitari for help and gulped when he noticed he was alone. They had abandoned him! He really was going to die!


End file.
